


A Laugh Like the Sunset

by I_can_only_imagine



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Laughter, M/M, Protective Roy Harper, Roy Harper Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24984997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_can_only_imagine/pseuds/I_can_only_imagine
Summary: Laughter filled the rooftop as the sun set on Star City. That evening, the sunset had nothing on the way Jason smiled.Jason ran away from Gotham to be with Roy,but the world would never let them be happy together for too long.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Roy Harper/Jason Todd
Comments: 4
Kudos: 157





	A Laugh Like the Sunset

Laughter filled the rooftop as the sun set on Star City. Sunsets were always brilliant in this part of the city, but it wasn’t really the sunset Roy was focusing on as he laughed. That evening, the sunset had nothing on the way Jason smiled.

He had told a corny joke, nowhere near his best material, but Jason had laughed like it was the greatest joke ever told. He held his side and leaned back, head thrown back as he let himself laugh harder than Roy had seen in a long time. He could clearly remember the last time Jason had laughed like this, and it had been almost a year since then. A year since Jason returned to Gotham.

Jason laughter had caused this joyful little thing to bubble up from his chest and soon he was laughing too.

“You’re not supposed to laugh at your own jokes,” Jason had said between bouts of laughter and steadying breaths.

“If you can’t laugh at yourself then you can’t laugh at anything,” was what Roy had responded with before they descended more in the gleeful sound as the sunset in front of them.

Roy’s laughter had tampered down into little chuckles, and his attention was fully on Jason as he continued to laugh.

The image would have surely been heartbreaking to anyone else. The image of a man, barely twenty one if all of the math Roy had done was right, sitting there laughing like there was no tomorrow while covered in bandages and scars, with tear tracks still not done drying on his cheeks quite yet.

Roy had seen this sight so many times, and had learned over time to accept it as how their lives were destined to be. Once he accepted it, he found what most saw as heartbreaking to be beautiful.

The way Jason could laugh as if he hadn’t just been broken down into breathless sobs just minutes ago reminded Roy of every good thing in the world. Perseverance, where most would have given up. Forgiveness, where it wasn’t deserved. Hope…

Jason always reminded him exactly what perseverance meant. To push through, to hold fast, and to never let go even when it felt like the whole world was against you. He taught him forgiveness where Hugo had intended to sabotage his ability at ever knowing what forgiveness truly was, because Jason gave it away so easily even to people who didn’t deserve it. He didn’t forgive the criminals he killed, obviously, but he forgave certain people who had put those tears on Jason’s face in the first place.

Roy hadn’t let himself feel hope for so long. The way his childhood went, as well as a good portion of his adult life just made him believe that hope was for the lucky and it didn’t belong in the hearts of the damned. But then Jason had shown up and shown Roy that there was so much more to hope than he had ever known. Hope was in itself perseverance, and forgiveness, and so much more. It was believing in other people when they gave you no reason to, it was looking forward to the future even if your past is nothing but shit, it was loving even after getting your heart broken a million times.

He would never tell him, but Jason had become Roy’s hope a long time ago.

He knew how Jason felt about him, and he knew how he felt about Jason. Roy was unafraid to admit that they loved each other. That much should have been obvious from the way Jason laughed at his terrible jokes, and the way Roy would do anything to take away his pain even just for a moment.

There were nights Roy remembered as the best nights of his life, where he and Jason would sit on the couch, or bed, and once even the bathroom floor of one of their safehouses just trapped in each other’s arms. Jason would whisper sweet things to Roy that he had wished to hear his entire life, and Roy would hold Jason to his heart, running a hand through his hair as he listened.

_ “You’re so brilliant I don’t know what to do with you,” _ Jason had whispered one of those nights. Roy couldn’t remember where they were, but he could remember the way Jason’s hair tickled his chin, and how soothing his weight on top of him had felt as Roy sat propped up against a headboard? A couch? A wall? He wasn’t sure.

_ “You’re perfect Roy, don’t ever change. Don’t ever stop being you. I don’t want a world where you’re not you. If I lost you, I don’t know what I’d do.” _

_ “You’ll never lose me. I’ll always be here,” _ it was the one thing Roy had said, his only interruption of Jason’s whispering. It was the only thing he ever felt he needed to add. To just remind Jason that he wasn’t like the rest, he wasn’t leaving him.

Jason had laughed that night too. It hadn’t been a laugh that told Roy what he said was funny. The laugh had been more of a relief, a reaction to something overwhelming happening in them both. A silent  _ I love you too _ as a response to the way Roy let his lips linger on Jason’s head a little longer than usual.

Jason had so many laughs, but Roy had always been stuck between those two laughs for his favorite. Unfiltered joy and an unspoken  _ I love you _ .

Of course, the world could never just let him and Jason be with each other. That would be too easy.They would end up too good.

Roy only realized they weren’t alone on the roof anymore because the person’s silent landing was alerted to them by one of the Roybots.

“Intruder!” the bot shrieked and all at once they weren’t laughing anymore and were up on their feet staring down the shadowy figure that had joined them.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Roy gritted, all bubbling joy replaced with a hot, burning thing that he didn’t want to calm down.

“Jason,” the rough voice addressed as if Roy wasn’t even there. Roy glanced at Jason from the corn of his eye and that burning hot thing only grew. Jason’s eyes were wide, mouth slightly open as if he didn’t know what to say but knew he had to say something. At this angle, the light touched his almost dry tear tracks in a way that made them look fresh all over again, even though Roy knew Jason would never let himself truly cry in front of the man.

“This isn’t fair,” Roy shouted at the man, stepping forward just a little bit. His hands balled into fists, and even though he knew he would lose, he was ready to fight if it meant Jason got away. “He didn’t even get a full day and you’re dragging him back?”

“Jason, it’s time to go,” the bat said, his voice growing more commanding with every word. He sounded like a furious parent speaking to their disobedient child. Roy supposed that technically, that was the case. Jason had told him he had run off from Gotham even though he wasn’t supposed to even leave manor grounds outside of patrols.

_ “I can’t stand it anymore,” _ Jason’s choking, sobbing voice echoed in Roy’s head from just an hour before.  _ “Roy I can’t do it. I can’t go back.” _

“He’s not going anywhere with you,” Roy said, now fully in front of Jason.

Batman paused for a moment, assessing Roy with the cold, blank lenses of his cowl. When he seemed to find what he was looking for, he looked back over Roy’s shoulder to his son.

“Jason,” he said his name much softer this time. His tone reminded Roy too much of when people were trying to coax frightened animals out of hiding spots for his comfort. “Jason please, let's go home.”

Damn that word. Damn Batman. Damn it all.

That word had always been Jason’s weakness. Even when family let him down time after time in his life. Even when no place on earth would accept him. Home had been what trapped Jason back in Gotham every time.

Jason took a shaky breath behind him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. When Roy turned back to him, Jason wore that damn smile where it didn’t quite reach his eyes, but was believable enough to pass for reassuring even with all the sorrow, surrender and loneliness that filled it. That damn smile that belonged to Batman just like Jason believed he did.

“It’s okay Roy,” Jason said. Any time Jason said Roy’s name it was loaded with all the things they never said, and this time was no exception.

“You don’t have to go,” Roy whispered, almost begging.

“I want to,” Jason lied. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Roy’s cheek in the same goodbye as every other time.

Roy watched hollowly as Jason crossed the roof back to Batman and didn’t look back. He knew why Jason didn’t look back, but it just made it hurt even more. If he looked back, Jason wouldn’t be able to leave, and Roy wished so desperately that one of these times, he would look back. He would never force Jason to stay, not like the bats did, but he couldn’t just ignore that part of his heart that tried to cling on and never let Jason go.

All Roy could do was stand there and watch them go, hoping that the next time Batman hurt Jason, because there was always a next time, he would be there to save him.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr at @what-if-i-imagine. My ask box is always open to new prompts!


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